Coma patient wakes up, speaks after nearly being taken off life support following crash...

What puzzles me when I read stories like this is the double standard of many. On one hand, they are reluctant to support the Death Penalty, for the minute chance that they might kill an innocent person, yet they are quick to remove life support, even though there is a small percentage whom recover.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Rabbi Avrum Schorr made the following points at the Agudah convention:

1. The Tzibbur should be coming to the Rabbonim to ask how to stem the tide of losing Neshomos due to the new smart-phone/internet technologies.

2. A child said he would break an i-phone, being that his father was addicted to it and no longer had time for his children.

3. TXTing has destroyed Shabbos for many who become addicted to it.

4. People answer that they've been on the internet for years and have not seen any inappropriate content (ed. I find this hard to believe). Yet their children see them spending all day on the internet and the message they take away is how great the internet is. They don't differentiate between good and bad sites.

5. The anti-technology fight is war. One can't let up from fighting this war. For those who say it can't be won...look at Eretz Yisroel where Yeshiva people would be embarrassed to have a non-approved cellphone.

5b. Wonders how Mispallelim are not embarrassed to hand their i-phone to their Rav; when one button accesses Facebook, another button, Twitter.

6. Wants to create internet cafes in our neighborhoods, open 24x6 where filtered access will be available to all, and would remove the need to have internet in the homes.

7. Claims that i-phones are really for pleasure, not business.

8. Asked someone why they need i-phone, man responded that he can use the compass feature to show Mizrach...

9. Wondered aloud how one can be Mechanech a Bochur who has 150 movies on his i-phone.

10. Bemoaned the LH that is so prevalent in TXTing.

11. Related Moshol from Chofetz Chayim that a rich landowner once told his workers to only use filtered water in the house...one day they had a fire and the house burned down because they filtered it before they would throw in on the fire...said that everyone nowadays is worthy of fighting the technology war...even dirty water can help put out this fire.

Personally, I think the Rav has made some very important observations, yet I wonder if it can really work here in the USA. Furthermore, I wonder if people would be willing to give up the convenience of having the internet in their homes. Imagine telling women that they can use washing machines, but must only do so at the laundromat. I realize that the 2 cases are not exactly similar, just food for thought.

On the other hand, if this is really war, then perhaps this is the price we must pay for maintaining the purity and Kedusha of our people.